Extruded Shingles Look Like Hand-Cut Wood

An unusual process invented by The Foundry in Franklin, Ohio, makes high-end PVC siding that looks like hand-cut wood shingles, complete with saw marks. The patented process combines extrusion and thermoforming (U.S. Pat. 7008213, 2006). The first step is coextruding PVC sheet with an acrylic cap layer onto a continuous conveyor with aluminum vacuum forming plates. The plate molds are made using hand-cut wood shingles as patterns (hence the saw marks). A series of different molds can be mounted on the conveyor for pattern variation. A traveling plug assist forms the shingles with a hooked undercut on the lower edge, while a corresponding groove is folded into the upper edge for the interlock. Nail slots are punched in the upper edge to accommodate thermal expansion of PVC. The Foundry introduced the siding seven years ago and has quadrupled sales since the company was acquired in 2003 by Tapco International in Wixom, Mich. (Tapco was in turn acquired by conglomerate Headwaters Inc.). The Foundry’s product has spawned several injection molded imitators in both PVC and PP. Tel: (800) 771-4486 • www.foundrysiding.com